Photo: Toby Harvey · Unsplash License
Aberdeen, Scotland
Cruden Bay Golf Club
Old Tom Morris's 1899 Aberdeenshire links — comprehensively rerouted by Tom Simpson in 1926, ranked among the world's top 100 courses, and one of Scotland's most characterful walking-only links.
Course overview
Cruden Bay Golf Club sits on a spectacular stretch of Aberdeenshire coastline north of Aberdeen, where ancient sand dunes, gorse, and burn crossings create one of the most characterful links in Scotland. Old Tom Morris and Archie Simpson laid out the original course in 1899 for the Great North of Scotland Railway Company. Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler comprehensively rerouted the course in 1926, creating the routing that endures today while preserving many of Morris's original greens. The hotel the course was built to serve was demolished in the 1950s, leaving Cruden Bay as the village's primary legacy; it has been ranked among the world's top 100 courses by Links Magazine and Golf Course Architecture, remarkable recognition for a course with no professional tournament history.
The essentials
- Architect
- Old Tom Morris, Archie Simpson, and Tom Simpson
- Established
- 1899
- Type
- Links
- Par
- 70
- Length
- 6,043 m
- Handicap
- HCP 0–26
- Location
- Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Character & atmosphere
An old-fashioned, walking-only links where blind shots are a deliberate feature of the design rather than a flaw — local knowledge and course feel are rewarded as much as technical skill. Par 70 conceals serious complexity imposed by dune ridges, eccentric stances, and North Sea weather at this northerly latitude.
Highlights
Why play here
- Designed by Old Tom Morris, Archie Simpson, and Tom Simpson, opened in 1899.
- A challenging round for golfers who enjoy a proper test.
Signature Hole
14
Port Erroll
A short par-3 played across a burn with the historic fishing village of Port Erroll and the ruins of Slains Castle visible on the clifftop beyond — the castle that is said to have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. The hole requires a precise iron to a green that offers no practical backstop, and the coastal scenery makes it one of the most photographed par-3s in Scottish golf.
Facilities
Practical guidance
Plan your visit
How to get there
Aberdeen Airport is the main gateway. Cruden Bay is around 35 minutes north of Aberdeen via the A90 and A975. Car hire is the practical option; the village is small and public transport connections from Aberdeen are infrequent.
Where to stay
Aberdeen is the most practical base for the Aberdeenshire golf circuit, combining easy access to Royal Aberdeen and Murcar at the city's edge with a manageable drive to Cruden Bay and Trump International. As Scotland's third city, it offers hotel and dining variety well above what the rural courses nearby would suggest.
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Scotland
Explore Aberdeen
The Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire golf coast, anchored by Royal Aberdeen and Murcar.